Electromechanical switch

ABSTRACT

An electromechanical switch having a manually operable lever with a long lever arm, a low power circuit on a circuit board, low pressure contacts and a force decoupling assembly for connecting the lever and contacts while decoupling the forces associated with the operation of the lever from the forces associated with contacting the circuit. The force decoupling assembly includes a contact carriage pivotable in a first direction to move the contacts across traces on the circuit board to activate the switch and springs for biasing the contacts against the traces in a direction perpendicular to the pivot plane.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention.

The invention relates in general to manually operated switches, and moreparticularly, to such switches of the type that employ relatively longactuating levers, such as the switches used in automobiles to operatethe turn signal and headlight beam change functions.

2. Description of the Prior Art

It is well-known to use electromechanical switches to operate the turnsignal and headlight beam change operations in automobiles. The manuallyoperable switch levers in such switches are generally longer than thoseused in other switches carrying similar electrical loads. Forspecificity, in this disclosure "relatively long" with respect to thelever arms shall mean two or more inches. The forces transmitted by suchlong lever arms can be significant, leading to wear and tear on internalswitch parts. Generally these switches directly activate the signallights and headlight beams in contrast to indirect switches which causea microprocessor to perform some function which in turn activates arelay to operate a signal or light. In this disclosure we shall refer tothe former as direct-acting switches. Direct-acting switch mechanismstend to be inherently larger and stronger than lower power circuits,such as the solid state circuits that are normally associated withmicroprocessors, etc. Thus, since the long lever arms can lead toproblems with the direct-acting circuitry, it can be understood theproblems would even be greater if it were desired to operate the turnsignals and headlight beam change functions by means of microprocessorsor other lower power solid state logic circuits and still use the normalturn signal levers, since solid state circuitry is generallyminiaturized and of less sturdy construction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a manually operatedelectromechanical switch that incorporates a relatively long activationlever with low power, miniaturized switching circuitry.

It is another object of the invention to provide the above object in anelectromechanical switch that is more reliable than prior art turnsignals and beam change switches and at the same time economical tomanufacture.

It is a further object of the invention to provide the above object inan electromechanical switch that incorporates a circuit board.

It is still another object of the invention to provide one or more ofthe above objects in an electromechanical switch that mimics the feel ofdirect-acting turn signal switches or direct-acting headlight beamchange switches.

The invention provides an electromechanical switch comprising: amanually operable lever having a relatively long lever arm; a low powercircuit; low pressure electrical contact means responsive to the leverfor contacting the low power circuit; and force decoupling means forconnecting the lever and the contact means while decoupling the forcesassociated with the operation of the lever from the forces associatedwith contacting the circuit. Preferably the contact means includes acontact and a contact force means for applying a force in a firstdirection towards the electrical circuit to cause the contact to engagethe circuit, and the force decoupling means comprises switching forcemeans for applying a force in a second direction, perpendicular to thefirst direction to cause the contact move between different portions ofthe circuit. Preferably, the force decoupling means further includeshousing means for supporting the lever, the circuit, and the contactmeans and the switching force means comprises: a main bearing assemblyconnecting the lever to the housing, the main bearing assembly includinga stop means for stopping the movement of the lever, a switchingassembly separate from the main bearing assembly; and transmission meansfor transmitting the movement of the lever to the switching assembly.Preferably, the transmission means comprises: a first member physicallyconnected to the main bearing assembly, and a second member physicallyconnected to the switching assembly and not physically connected to themain bearing assembly, the first member engaging the second member.Preferably, the transmission means comprises a rack and pinion means forconverting linear to rotational motion, or alternatively comprises gearmeans for converting rotational motion in one direction to rotationalmotion in another direction perpendicular to the one direction.Preferably the low power circuit comprises a circuit board having atrace and the contact means comprises a means for contacting the trace.Preferably, the switch further includes detent means responsive to themovement of the lever means for mimicking the feel of direct-acting turnsignal switches or direct-acting headlight beam change switches.

In this disclosure for specificity a "low power circuit" will mean anelectrical circuit of the type designed to be part of a solid statemicroelectronics circuit, and "low pressure" shall mean contact whichexerts two ounces or less pressure. The invention not only successfullycombines the long levers of prior art switches with microelectroniccircuitry but also provides a switch that is more reliable than priorart turn signal and headlight beam change switches. The low pressurecontacts have negligible wear on the traces. Due to the low power,arcing and related problems of prior art switches are eliminated.Isolation of the primarily mechanical and primarily electrical functionsalso results in isolation of problem areas which can be made to highstandards and other areas in which economics relating to small size andease of manufacture are gained. Numerous other features, objects andadvantages of the invention will become apparent from the followingdetailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIGS. 1A and 1B together provide an exploded view of the preferredembodiment of an automotive switch module incorporating the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the manual lever and main shaft of theturn signal and headlight beam change assembly of FIGS. 1A and 1B;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the assembled switch module of FIGS. 1Aand 1B showing the front side of the module;

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the module of FIG. 3A from the backside;

FIG. 4A is a front view of the module housing back portion;

FIG. 4B is a partial side view of the housing of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 shows the turn signal headlight beam change mechanism of theembodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B in the housing of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 6 shows a back perspective view of the turn signal and beam changemechanism of FIG. 5 in the neutral position;

FIG. 7 shows the mechanism of FIG. 6 in the position for activating theleft turn signal and beam change functions;

FIG. 8 is a cross section of the preferred embodiment of the leverreturn mechanism through the line 8--8 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a cross section of the preferred embodiment of the turn signaldetent and stop mechanism taken through the line 9--9 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 1OA is an expanded perspective view of the preferred embodiment ofthe contact carriage;

FIG. 10B is a cross section view of the contact carriage and associatedparts taken through line 10B--10B of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11A is a front view of the bearing cover and turn signal detentretainer of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11B is a right end view of the retainer of FIG. 11A;

FIG. 11C is an end view of the contact means of FIG. 5 showing a singlecontact blade in profile;

FIG. 11D is a side view of the contact means of FIG. 11C;

FIG. 11E is a front view of the bearing cover and leaf spring retainerof FIG. 5;

FIG. 12A and 12B is a detail showing the interaction of the turn signaltransmission "gear" members of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 13A is a cross section of the preferred embodiment of theconnection between the lever and shaft taken through the line 13A--13Aof FIG. 6;

FIG. 13B is a side view of the lever connecting portion;

FIG. 13C is a side view of the pin connecting the lever and shaft;

FIG. 14A is a cross section of the preferred embodiment of the shaft andassociated parts taken through the line 14A--14A of FIG. 5;

FIG. 14B is a side view of the shaft perpendicular to the cross sectionof FIG. 14A; and

FIG. 15 is a back view of the turn signal and beam change circuit boardof the preferred embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the preferred embodiment, the switch according to the invention ispart of a switch module 10 which controls the turn signal, headlightbeam change, panel and interior lights and windshield washer and wiperfunctions. It is understood that the embodiment shown is only intendedto be exemplary and not intended to be limiting of the invention. Theassembled module 10 is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B and is shown inpartially exploded form in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2. The principalsubassemblies and their functions will be briefly discussed first toorient the reader to the device, and then a detailed description of eachpart will be presented. In this description, when the words front, back,up and down are used without specific reference to a FIG., then it is inreference to the normal position of the module in use, which is shown inFIG. 3A with the "front" facing to the lower left of the FIG.

Module 10 has two buttons 12 and 15 and two levers 16 and 17 protrudingfrom its front cover 18 and another lever 19 extending from its leftside. Button 12 is part of a "lights-on" subassembly 23 (FIG. 1A) whichactivates a circuit 25 on the front 26 of circuit board 27 to turn onthe parking lights and headlights of the vehicle. Button 15 is part of a"lights-off" switch subassembly 29 which activates a circuit 30 on thefront 26 of circuit board 27 to turn the lights off. Lever 16 is part ofa panel light switch subassembly 31 which activates a circuit 32 on thefront of circuit board 27 to operate the panel and interior lights ofthe vehicle. A light guide 33 encapsulates subassemblies 23, 29 and 31to provide lighting for various indicia such as 34 (FIG. 3A) on frontcover 18. Lever 17 is part of a windshield wiper and washer switchsubassembly 35 which operates the windshield wipers and washers of thevehicle. Lever 19 (FIG. 1B) is part of a turn signal and headlight beamchange switch subassembly 36 which activates circuits 37 on the back 39of circuit board 27 to operate the turn signal and headlight beam changefunctions of the vehicle. The preferred embodiment of the invention iscontained within the last-named subassembly, the turn signal andheadlight beam change switch subassembly 36. This subassembly willtherefore be discussed in detail below and the other parts mentionedonly as they relate to this subassembly.

Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2, the turn signal and headlight beamchange subassembly 36 includes a generally cup-shaped housing 40, lever19, pin 42, shaft 43, beam change actuator 45, beam change return spring46, spacer 47, turn signal actuator 48, turn signal return cam or firstcam 49, turn signal detent and stop cam or second cam 52, bearing coverand detent retainer 53, screws 54A and 54B, detent plunger 55, detentroller pin 56, detent spring 57, leaf springs 60 and 61, bearing coverand leaf spring retainer 63, screws 64A and 64B, turn signal contactcarriage 66, beam change contact carriage 67, beam change detent plunger69, beam change detent spring 70, turn signal contact means 72, beamchange contact means 73, circuit board 27, screws 58, 59, 75A, 75B andvarious clips such as 76 for mounting the module in an automobile. Lever19 comprises a connecting portion 77 and a handle portion 78. Handleportion 78 is hollow with internal rib structure, such as 79 (FIG. 13B)for strengthening it, and comprises a generally cup-shaped body portion81 and a snap-in cover 82. Handle portion 78 is 3.1 inches long, and inthe plane of FIG. 13A tapers at 1.5° on both sides with a mean thicknessof about 0.5 inches. In the plane of FIG. 13B its inner edge forms aright angle with connecting portion 77 and its outer edge angles at 9.5°from a base dimension of 0.59 inches near the connecting portion 77. Itincludes an arc-shaped indention 85 with a radius of 0.75 inches andhaving square serrations of 0.020 inches width and height spaced 0.040inches apart, which indentation and serrations facilitate contact withthe operators' fingers. Connecting portion 77 is solid and has a slot 86and a bore 87. Bore 87 comprises a larger diameter portion 88 and asmaller diameter portion 89. Bore 87 is preferably cylindrical withportion 88 being 0.156 inches diameter and portion 89 being 0.125 inchesin diameter, and the two portion being concentric and the length of thebore 87 being about 0.460 inches. The exterior dimensions of connectingportion 77 are best seen in FIGS. 13A and 13B. It is 0.550 inches wide(in the plane of FIG. 13A) and 0.780 inches high (FIG. 13B). The sides,such as 91, are vertical (in FIG. 13A) and flat. The axis of bore 87 isplaced about 0.550 inches from the highest point of connecting portion77 and about 0.60 inches from the farthest right part in FIG. 13B. Theperpendicular distance from the center of bore 87 to the plane of thefar left side 83 (FIG. 13B) of connecting portion 77 is 0.50 inches.Slot 86 is 0.137 inches wide in the plane of FIG. 13A and the curvatureof the upper and lower sides in that plane is about a radius of 0.125inches. In the plane of FIG. 13B, the slot 86 is best defined by thefollowing: points 84A, 84B, 84C and surface 84D are 0.125 inches, 0.070inches, 0.075 inches and 0.302 inches respectively from a horizontalline through the center of bore 87 in FIG. 13B; the upper side of slot86 in FIG. 13B slopes 10° with the horizontal and the lower side slopes5° with the horizontal. The surface 84D forms a stop member 84Dintegrally formed with cam 98. The end 84E of the slot is an arc of0.218 inches radius from the axis of bore 87, and the curved part 84F ofthe other end is an arc of 0.410 inches radius from the same point. Theedges of connecting portion 77 are rounded and tapered to blend with thehandle 78. The end of portion 77 toward shaft 43 (to the right in FIG.13B) has an indented portion 94, perhaps best seen in FIG. 6, to provideclearance with the housing 40 and is tapered at 95 to provide additionalstrength and support in the area where it meets the shaft 43. The upperportion of this same end is tapered back 15° from the vertical to form acam member 97 which has a flat cam surface 98 and which is 0.25 incheslong in the direction of handle 78 and 0.137 inches in the otherdirection. The surface 99 sloped back 15° is flat (FIG. 2). Pin 42 (FIG.13C) is preferably cylindrical with a first portion 100 of 0.166 inchesin diameter and 0.156 inches long, a second portion 101 of 0.156 inchesin diameter and 0.020 inches long, and a third portion 102 of 0.125inches in diameter and 0.230 inches long. Both ends of the pin 42 arechamfered with a corner break of 0.015 inches, and portion 101 ischamfered with a 0.005 inch corner break. Portion 100 is finished with a160 D.P. diamond knurl. Since bore portion 88 is only 0.156 inches indiameter, it is clear that portion 100 of pin 42 will deform, andcompress the lever material when it is driven in. Shaft 43, best seen inFIGS. 2, 14A and 14B, is roughly a cylinder of 3.611 inches in totallength and 0.248 inches in diameter. The sides of the end nearest lever19 are cut off flat to form a portion 105 1.06 inches long and 0.130inches thick between the flat sides. The front surface 44 of portion 105forms a stop engagement member 44 which forms a part of the stopengagement means 286 discussed below. The neighboring portion 106 iscylindrical to form a shoulder 107 which abuts member 52. There followsa narrower cylindrical portion 109 of 0.169 inches in diameter and 0.082inches long, then a full 0.248 inch diameter portion 110 1.664 incheslong, and finally another flat-sided portion 0.130 inches in width and0.693 inches long, with the flat sides perpendicular to the flat sideson the other end. Shoulder 113 is formed at the juncture of portions 110and 111. A preferably cylindrical aperture 115 of 0.1265 inches diameteris formed perpendicular to the flat sides of portion 105, 0.15 inchesfrom the end, and through the shaft axis 11. The lever end of the shaft43 and the junctures at shoulders 107 and 113 are chamfered at 30° for a0.015 inch corner break and the end away from lever 19 is chamfered at30° for a 0.10 inch corner break. The beam change stop engagement means286 comprises shaft 43, particularly the surface 44, and the housingportions, such as bearings 280 and 282, which support it. Actuator 45has a shaft attachment portion 117 which is cylindrical with an outerdiameter of 0.380 inches, an inner bore 118 0.252 inches in diameter,and a flat side 119 that is 0.166 inches from the axis 11 of thecylinder. Actuator 45 also has an arm portion 120 which is 0.302 incheswide, 0.790 inches long from the end surface 127 to the point where itbegins to slope at 45° toward cylinder 117. The top (in reference toFIG. 14A) surface of arm 120 is curved with a radius of about 0.325inches. The lower surface 122 of arm 120 is flat and is 0.200 inchesfrom the axis of cylinder 117. At the end of arm 120 is a roughlytriangular flange 125 the upper surface of which is curved in an arc ofradius of 0.375 inches about the axis of cylinder 117. The edge offlange 125 forms a continuation of cam follower surface 127. As bestseen in FIGS. 6 and 7, an extension 128 which slopes down at 45° to thehorizontal is formed starting 0.055 inches from the end of cylinder 117.Teeth 130 and 131 are formed at the end of extension 12B. The teeth areabout 0.085 inches wide in the direction parallel to the axis 11 ofshaft 43 and 0.140 inches wide in the other direction and about 0.30inches long from the point where extension 128 joins cylinder 117. Theyare rounded on their interior side (the side toward the axis 11) and onthe outside exterior edge with a radius of 0.042 inches. The insideexterior edge is square. The notch 132 formed between teeth 130 and 131is 0.175 inches wide. Leg 134 is formed at the rear corner of cylinder117 opposite extension 128 to form an extension of surface 119 out tothe outer diameter of cylinder 117. A rectangular lip 135 extends about0.024 inches down (in reference to FIG. 14A) from surface 119. Lip 135is 0.070 inches wide and as long as surface 119 is wide.

Spring 46 is a four coil spring made from 0.034 inch diameter wire. Thecoil is 0.261 inches in diameter and the spring has a free length ofabout 0.455 inches. It compresses to 0.350 inches with a 4 lb. load, hasa solid length of 0.177 inches, and a spring rate of forty pounds perinch. Spacer 47 is a cylinder 0.50 inches long and 0.370 inches inoutside diameter and having an inner bore 136 of 0.257 inches indiameter. Turn signal actuator 48 comprises a cylinder 140 of 0.462inches in outer diameter and having an inner bore 141 shaped to fitsnugly on end 111 of shaft 43. The outer surface 149 (FIG. 12A) ofcylinder 140 forms a bearing surface which supports the end of the shaft43 opposite the lever 19. The cylinder 140 is cut away at 142 to assureclearance with the edge of carriage 66 as it is turned in operation. Ithas two teeth 145 and 146 which extend toward the back of the assemblyin neutral position (FIG. 2). As shown best in FIGS. 12A and 12B, theoutside edge of teeth 145 and 146 drops straight downward (in referenceto FIG. 12A) from the outer circumference of cylinder 140 to a circle of0.320 inch radius from the axis of cylinder 140. The inner side of eachtooth is defined by a line parallel to and spaced 0.055 inches from aline passing through the axis 11 of cylinder 140 and 71/2° from thevertical. The teeth 145 and 146 are 0.100 inches wide in the plane ofFIG. 14A. The teeth 145 and 146 and a projection 148 locateddiametrically opposite tooth 146 extend 0.025 inches beyond the face ofcylinder 140 (the projection is perhaps best seen in ghost in FIG. 14A)to form three flat surfaces which abut spacer 47. Again as best seen inFIG. 14A, the region 147 of cylinder 140 between teeth 145 and 146 ishollowed out to a depth of 0.125 inches, with the arc at the back ofhollow being of 0.090 inches radius. Turn signal return cam (first cam)49 comprises a cylinder of 0.462 inches in diameter with a bore 153shaped to fit snugly on the end portion 111 of shaft 43, and opposingflat sides 150 and 151 (FIG. 8) parallel to the flat sides of bore 153and spaced 0.325 inches apart. The axial length of cam 49 is 0.295inches. The ends of bore 153 are chamfered at 30°. Turn signal detentand stop cam (second cam) 52 (FIGS. 2 and 9) has a cylindrical portion154, a detent arm 155, and a stop member 156. Cylindrical portion 154has an outer diameter of 0.380 inches, is 0.180 inches long, and has aninner slot-like bore 157 shaped to fit snugly on end 105 of shaft 43.Stop member 156 is defined by its sloping sides each being along a lineparallel to and spaced 0.119 inches from a line passing through the axisof cylinder 154 in the cylindrical plane at an angle of 15° to thecenter line of slot 157. The two sides defined by the above definitionslope toward each other to the blunt tip which-is defined by an arc ofradius 0.352 inches from the axis of cylinder 154. Stop 156 extends thewidth of cylinder 154 in the direction parallel to the cylindrical axis.Detent arm 155 includes two detent actuation fingers 158 and 159. Asperhaps can best be seen in FIGS. 2 and 9, the detent arm 155 can bedefined in the following manner: the arc 152 between the fingers 158 and159 is along a radius of 0.515 inches from the axis of cylinder 154 andthe tips of fingers 158 and 159 are along a concentric arc of radius0.570 inches; the outer sides of the fingers are defined by linestangent to the cylinder 154 at points along the line passing through thecenter of stop 156 and slot 157, and the outer sides of the main part ofarm 155 are defined by lines at an angle of 15° with the tangent lines;the inner side of fingers 158 and 159 is defined by a line at a 53°angle to a line spaced 0.095 inches from and parallel to the linepassing through the center of the arm 155 and the axis of cylinder 154;the final side of the fingers 158 and 159 intermediate to the tip arcand the inner side is defined by a line forming an angle 70° with a lineparallel to the line bisecting stop 156 and passing through the axis ofcylinder 154. The arm 155 is 0.090 inches thick, extending from the edgeof cylinder 154 away from lever 19 to the center point of the cylinder.The outer surface of fingers 158 and 159 and the arc 152 (FIG. 9) is acam surface 352 (FIG. 6) which engages the roller pin 56 of the detentmechanism. Bearing cover and turn signal detent retainer 53 (FIGS. 2, 9and 11A) comprises a bearing cover member 160 and a detent retainermember 161. Member 160 is rectangular, being 0.270 inches wide and 0.94inches long and 0.10 inches thick, with one corner cut off at a 22°angle sufficient to provide clearance for carriage 67 at the extreme ofits pivot. Member 160 has two bores 163A and 163B centered 0.130 inchesfrom the side nearest lever 19 and 0.135 inches from each end of member160, with 0.67 inches between the centers. The bores 163A and 163B areeach 0.125 inches in diameter. Member 160 also has two guide flanges164A and 164B, a depressed area 165 between the flanges, and a raisedboss 166 in the depression. The guide flanges 164A and 164B are eachabout 0.105 inches high on the side adjacent the bore and slanting downat a 16° angle a vertical distance of 0.145 inches on the inner sideinto the depression 165. The width of depression 165 is 0.266 inches.Boss 166 is 0.080 inches high, and is circular with a diameter of 0.150inches, with the edge of the boss smoothly rounded. Boss 166 provides abearing surface on which surface 122 (FIG. 14A) of actuator 45 slidesand eliminates a clicking noise that would otherwise occur whenactuating the beam change mechanism. The height of flanges 164A and 164Bis sufficient to provide clearance between arm 119 of actuator 45 andthe circuit board 27 which rests on the flanges. Detent retainer member161 comprises a hollow box 167 having an open end, an L-shaped flange168 having a bore 169, a wall extension 170 which forms a slot 171 withthe side of box 167, and four fingers 172, 173, 174, and 175. Box 167has a wall thickness of 0.060 inches except near bore 163A where it isradiused to provide clearance for the head of the screw that goes intothe bore. Box 167 is about 0.390 inches wide at the point it joinsflange 168, and the foot 176 offlange 168 extends straight back 0.270inches then is rounded in a radius of 0.195 inches. Foot 176 is 0.070inches thick and its lower surface is 0.40 inches from the lower surfaceof member 160. The other dimensions of member box 167 are defined by thefollowing: the center of bore 169 is offset from the center of bore 163Aby 0.214 inches in the direction along shaft 43 and by 0.961 inches inthe perpendicular direction; the width of slot 171 is 0.140 inches andits back wall is offset from the center of bore 163A by 0.233 inches inthe direction perpendicular to the axis of shaft 43. The wall of box 167nearest lever 19 angles at 9°, and the opposite wall that connectsmember 160 and 161 angles at 35°. Fingers 172 and 173 are each 0.085inches by 0.060 inches in rectangular cross section and 0.215 incheslong with the side in the direction of bore 163A spaced about 0.090inches from the center of the bore along the direction perpendicular tothe axis 11 of shaft 43. Fingers 174 and 175 are each 0.080 inches by0.065 inches in rectangular cross section and 0.225 inches long, withthe slot 177 between them being 0.115 inches wide by 0.159 inches deep,the center of the slot 177 being offset from the center of bore 163A by0.20 inches in the direction of the axis of shaft 43. The outer ends ofeach of fingers 172-174 are rounded in an arc of about 0.123 radius.Detent member 55 comprises a cylindrical head 178 and a stem 179. Head178 has four teeth 180 (FIG. 2) formed by two slots 181 and 182 crossedat right angles. Head 178 is 0.248 inches in diameter and 0.220 inchesin length, including the teeth 180. Slot 181 is 0.0625 inches in widthand rounded at the bottom with the same radius; it is 0.067 inches deepincluding the radius. Slot 182 is 0.135 inches wide and 0.078 inchesdeep. Stem 179 is 0.115 inches in diameter and 0.426 inches long. Theedge of head 178 near stem 179 is rounded in a 0.030 radius. The stem179 is chamfered for a 0.01 inch length at both ends. Pin 56 is acylinder 0.0625 inches in diameter and 0.230 inches long with both endschamfered with a 0.005 inch corner break. Spring 57 is a coil springmade of 0.024 diameter music wire. Its coils are 0.120 inches in insidediameter and it has a free length of .418 inches and a spring rate of 24lbs./inch.

Turning now to the parts shown exploded in FIG. 1B, leaf springs 60 and61 each comprise an elongated member 1.330 inches in length, 0.262inches wide, and 0.022 inches thick. The corners are rounded with a0.050 inch radius. Bearing cover and leaf spring retainer 63 (FIGS. 1B,8 and 11E) comprises a roughly C-shaped member (see FIG. 11E) of width0.49 inches from front to back of the "C", 1.665 inches long from top tobottom of the "C", and 0.177 inches thick. It includes countersunk bores184, 185, 186 and 187, an arch 189 to provide clearance for actuator 48,a flange 190, a nub 192 and L-shaped brackets 193 and 194 which create apocket for leaf spring 60, braces 195 and 196, rims 197 and 198 whichprovide a seat for circuit board 27 and indentation 199 which preciselylocates one point of contact of leaf spring 60 and cover 63. Bores 184and 185 are 0.250 inches in diameter and 0.097 inches deep; bores 186and 187 are 0.125 inches in diameter and 0.080 inches deep; arch 189 is0.080 inches deep and is formed by a flat area at the top of the archwhich is 0.10 inches wide meeting a 0.470 inch radius arc on eitherside; flange 190 is 0.083 inches long, 0.030 inches thick, and 0.290inches wide and its tip is beveled at 45°; nub 192 is diamond shaped, asbest seen in FIG. 11E, and is 0.150 inches long in the verticaldirection of FIG. 11C and its narrow vertices are 45°; L-shaped brackets193 and 194 are 0.050 inches wide in the horizontal direction in FIG.11E, and extend 0.093 inches beyond the inner edge of the "C" (downwardin FIG. 11C) and drop 0.065 inches below the lower side of the main partof the member 63 (in FIG. 8). The long part of the "L" is about 0.048inches thick at the point it joins the short part of the "L" and slopesforward at 8° over the 0.093 inch length; bracket 194 is located 0.445inches from the axis of bore 186 and bracket 193 is located 1.110 inchesfrom the same axis, both distances being in the horizontal direction inFIG. 11E. Braces 195 and 196 each angle back at a 45° angle from the tipof the "C" until within 0.020 inches of the adjacent brackets, 193 and194 respectively, then drop into the inner edge of the "C" in adirection parallel to the brackets, and are 0.075 inches thick; rims 197and 198 are both raised 0.020 inches above the adjacent surface; andindentation 199 is 0.025 inches deep and angles in at 30° to theadjacent surface, its point being rounded with a 0.015 inch radius.Screws 54A, 54B, 64A and 64B are No. 4-24 Phillips™ round-headed screwswith self taping threads 1/8 inches long. Carriages 66 and 67 arepreferably identical, thus only one shall be described. Carriage 66(FIGS. 10A and 10B) comprises three principal parts, a contact seat 200,a detent housing 202 and an actuator engaging member 204. Contact seat200 comprises a table 207 which is 0.660 inches long by 0.530 incheswide. Extensions 208 and 209 are formed at either end, with pins 211 and212 respectively formed in the extensions. Flanges 214 and 215 areformed on either side of extension 212, are 0.125 inches high and 0.045inches thick and go to the edge of table 207. A rim 217, 0.045 inchesthick and 0.050 inches high, is formed along an edge of table 207 fromflange 215 to extension 208, the corners being formed with a 45° locatorplaza, such as 216. Extensions 208 and 209 are 0.240 inches wide andextend 0.086 inches from the end of table 207. Pins 211 and 212 are0.730 inches center-to-center and are otherwise located symmetrically onthe extensions 208 and 209 and are 0.062 inches in diameter and 0.050inches high. Detent housing 202 comprises a rectangular box havinginterior dimensions of 0.215 inches deep and 0.212×0.190 inches squareand having an open end facing away from table 200. One end 219 ofhousing 202 is aligned with the end of extension 208. End 219 and theopposite end have notches 220 (FIG. 10A) and 221 (FIG. 6), therein whicheach are 0.131 inches wide and 0.170 inches deep with the closed endcurved a 0.063 inch radius. The side walls and the end wall 222 aboutnotch 220 are 0.050 inches thick while the end wall 223 about notch 221is 0.210 inches thick. A cavity 225 0.170 inches square is cored intable 200 and housing 202 to reduce the weight of the carriage. A flange228 is 0.280 wide and 0.070 inches thick and connects engaging member204 to the table/detent housing structure. Engaging member 204 comprisea plate 230, a bore 231, a ring 232 on the lower surface of plate 230about bore 231, and two pivot arms 235 and 236. Flange 228 is of alength and angle which places the center of bore 231 0.35 inches fromthe back edge 219 of detent housing 202 and the surface of ring 2320.490 inches from the top of table 207. The center of bore 231 is also0.20 inches from the end 229 of flange 228. Arms 235 and 236 eachcomprise a cup-shaped engaging portion 240 and a neck portion 241.Engaging portion 240 is circular in the plane in which arm 236 pivotsabout bore 231, with an engaging rim 244 of 0.170 inches diameter. Theheight of cup-shaped portion 240 is 0.09 inches between the flat top andbottom surfaces, the side 246 of the cup between the flat top and bottomsurfaces is arcuate, with the radius of the arc being the same as thediameter of the rim 244, or 0.170 inches. The bore 231 is 0.125 inchesin diameter within ring 232 and 0.122 inch diameter within plate 204.The neck area 241 of arm 236 is formed by a 0.085 inch radius circlealong the upper surface of plate 230 (on both sides of the neck 241) anda 0.061 inch radius circle along the lower surface of plate 230, and theside of the neck 241 tapers to join the two circles. The structure ofarm 235 is similar except that the diameter of the engaging rim 237 andthe radius of arc of the cup side 238 is 0.180 inches. The distance fromthe axis of bore 231 to the axis of cup 240 is 0.260 inches while theanalogous distance for arm 235 is 0.276 inches. Carriage detent 69comprises a cylinder 251 of 0.125 inches diameter with a circular ring253 of 0.187 inches diameter girdling it and a projection 255 on itsend. Projection 255 has a spherical end of 0.031 inches radius andextends 0.050 inches from the end of cylinder 251. Ring 253 begins 0.170inches from the tip of projection 255 and is 0.30 inches wide. Thelength of the detent from the tip of projection 255 to the bottom of thecylinder 251 is 0.40 inches. Spring 70 is preferably made of 0.015diameter music wire with 0.25 inches of free length, 4 turns, and havingan inside coil diameter of 0.150 inches. It provides 275 grams of biasforce when compressed to 140 inches. Contact means 72 and 73 (FIGS. 1B,5, 11C and 11D) are identical and each comprise: a mounting plate 260;flanges 261 and 262 with bores 263 and 264 respectively; and three pairs266, 267 and 268 of contact blades. Each pair of contact blades isjoined by a cross-bar such as 270 and each blade, such as 271, has acontact, such as 272. FIG. 11C shows a single blade in profile. Thecontact means is integral being made of metal 0.010 inches thick. Plate260 is .375 inches wide by 0.590 inches long and its two corners nearestthe contacts 272 are cut at 45° taking off 0.050 inches of the corner toprovide a key used in assembly. Flanges 261 and 262 are each 0.140inches wide by 0.218 inches long and the center of each flange islocated 0.210 inches from the keyed end of the plate 260; the bore 263is centered in the flange and has a diameter of 0.067 inches, while bore264 is 0.085 inches along an axis passing through both bores and eachend is rounded with a 0.067 inch radius. The contact pairs are identicalwith pairs 266 and 268 located at their respective ends of plate 260 andpair 267 centrally located. Each blade, such as 271, is 0.050 incheswide and the blades in each pair are separated by 0.030 inches. Theblades such as 271 are each 0.420 inches long from the end of thecontact to the tip of the bend 274. The tip of the bend 274 extends0.045 inches from the edge of plate 260. Each cross-bar, such as 270, is0.040 inches wide and is located 0.160 inches (in the flat state) fromthe tip of bend 274. Each contact, such as 272, is formed by threebends, one upward (in FIG. 11C) at 275 and having a 0.015 inch radius,the second to form the horizontal cup in FIG. 11C having a 0.080 inchradius, and the third to form the horizontal cups in FIG. 11D being of a0.030 inch radius. This results in a contact 0.050 inches wide (in theplane of FIG. 11D) and 0.015 inches high. The bend 274 is a . 0.030 inchradius to provide a free contact height above the bottom of plate 260 of0.175 inches. The working contact height is 0.135 inches. The graindirection is preferably in the horizontal plane of the drawing in FIG.11C.

Clips, such as 76 (FIG. 1B), are conventional threaded mounting clips,for #6 screws, such as the high carbon spring steel clips made by EatonCorp., Cleveland, Ohio. Housing 40 is shown in FIGS. 1B, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B,8, 9, and 10B. Many details of the housing are determined byconventional assembly requirements or specifications of a particularcustomer to integrate the module with its system, and thus will not bediscussed. The portions relevant to the invention include main bearing280, right bearing 282, turn signal stop engagement means 283 (FIGS. 3Band 9), leaf spring support means 288, turn signal detent guide andsupport 289, beam change detent member 290, carriage pivots pins 291 and292, windows 293 and 294 and circuit board supports and location means297. Main bearing 280 comprises a bearing surface 300 of 0.2505 inchesdiameter at the bottom of a slot 302 of the same diameter and the samedepth. This surface is divided into two surfaces, the left being ofwidth 0.130 inches and the right being of width 0.14 inches, by awedge-shaped rib 304 of a diameter of 0.76 inches, a width at its baseof 0.076 tapering upward and inward at an angle of 15°. Bearing surface300 and rib 304 are formed in a main bearing support 306 that is roughlyrectangular, being 0.940 inches long, 0.280 inches wide, and the topsurface of which is spaced 0.505 inches from the back surface 307 (FIG.3B) of the housing 40. Bores 309 and 310 are formed in support 306spaced 0.375 inches from the axis 11 of bearing surface 300, the boresbeing of about 0.089 inch diameter, suitable for receiving screws: 54Aand 54B. Bearing 282 is of a diameter of 0.463 inches in a slot 312 ofthe same diameter and a depth of 0.387 inches. The top inner corner ofthe slot 312 is tapered outward at 45° from a distance of about 0.04inches from the top. The bearing 282 is formed in a right bearingsupport 314 that is 0.200 inches wide in the area of bearing 282 andtapers at an angle of 18° from the side of slot 312 to provide clearancefor carriage 66. Indentations, such as 316, are formed on either side ofslot 312 on the outer wall of support 314 to provide clearance forbrackets 193 and 194, the indentations being about 0.05 inches square.Bores 317 and 318 are formed in support 314, bore 318 being spaced 0.80inches from the axis of bearing 282 and bar 317 being spaced 1.365inches from bore 318 in a direction perpendicular to the axis. Thespacings along the axis of these parts are perhaps best given withrespect to pivot pins 291 and 292. Pins 291 and 292 are 0.120 inches indiameter and are 0.110 inches high. They are located along the bearing280 and 282 and shaft 43 axis 11 spaced 0.885 inches apartcenter-to-center with pin 291 being 0.595 inches from the center of rib304 and pin 292 being 0.420 inches from the inner side of right bearing282. In the direction of the bearing axis 11, bores 317 and 318 are0.480 inches and 0.760 inches respectively from the center of pin 292.The support 314 makes a radius of 0.160 inches about the center of bore318 and blends with the 18° angle side on one end of the radius andcontinues to the housing wall 321 in a direction parallel to the bearingaxis 11. The support 314 includes a 0.140 inch radius post portion aboutbore 317 which post blends smoothly with the support wall. A notch 320,0.070 inches wide and extending from the housing wall 321, parallel tothe bearing axis 11 to within 0.050 inches of a line perpendicular tothe axis 11 through the center of bore 318 and then continuing to theinner edge of support 314, forms a cavity 320 to receive nub 192. A wall323, 0.030 inches thick and 0.215 inches high connects housing wall 321and support 314. This wall 323, the housing wall 321 and the inside ofbearing support 314 form a rectangular cavity 325 which is 1.350 incheslong and 0.315 inches wide at the bottom of the bearing support. At thebottom of the cavity are two benches 327 and 328 (FIG. 8) which comprisethe leaf spring support means 288. Bench 327 and bench 328 are both0.075 inches wide and 0.090 inches high and extend the width of thecavity 325.

Beam change detent member 290 comprises: a rib 0.075 inches thick and0.420 inches high extending across the housing 40 from bearing support314 to wall 330. The rib comprises: two arcs 332 and 333, the inner wallof which forms a 0.770 inch radius from the center of pins 291 and 292respectively; short straight segments 334, 335 and 336 join the two arcsin the center and to the wall 330 at one end and the support 314 at theother end, the location of these segments being defined by their innerwall being approximately 0.675 inches from the bearing axis 11. The arc332 is shown in FIG. 4A. It includes two indented arc segments 337 and338 and a detent ramp 339. Segment 337 is indented 0.010 inches from theinner surface of the arc 332 and segment 338 is indented 0.035 inches.The sides 341, 342 and 343 of the indentation and ramp are formed 30°,45° and 60° respectively with the radius of the arc 332. Turn signalstop engagement means 283 comprises an aperture in the housing 40 whichis 0.2505 inches square. The bearing support 306 is continued in to joinwall 330 at the upper side of the bearing axis 11 and the wall iscontinued to the trim wall member 348 to form the upper stop memberwhich engages stop 156 and stops the lever from being moved more than15° downward; a wedge 346 (FIG. 4A) 0.174 inches high and 0.296 incheslong which is turned at a full 0.174 inch radius near the bearing axis11 then slopes at 30° provides the lower stop member which engages stop156 and prevents the lever from being turned more than 15° upward. Apartial side view of housing 40 is shown in FIG. 4B. This perhaps bestshows the V-shaped trim wall member 348 which is 0.060 inches thickexcept on the right side in the FIG. where it is integrally molded withthe housing wall 349, and thus is about 0.160 inches thick. The verticeof the inner edge of the V is a 0.135 inch radius with the sides beingspaced 0.110 inches from a line passing through the axis 11 and making a15° angle with the vertical in FIG. 4B. The outer side of the V isconnected to sidewall 350 which is about 0.07 inches thick, therebyattaching trim wall member 348 to the wall 330 of housing 40. The innervertices of sidewall 350 as well as the lip 352 are sloped at 15° andspaced wide enough so as to be just beyond the throw of lever 19.Otherwise the dimensions of these parts do not pertain to the invention.Turn signal detent guide and support 289 comprises a cavity 354 andthree slots 355, 356 and 357 (FIG. 3B). Cavity 354 has a circular bottomwith a diameter of 0.253 inches, a width and depth of the same diameter,and a length of 0.693 inches. Slot 355 is centrally located in the wallof cavity 354 parallel to and nearest the bearing axis 11. Thus slot 355is rectangular, and is 0.140 inches wide, and extends down into andconnects with slot 357. Slot 357 is an opening in the bottom of cavity354 at the end nearest slot 355 and is approximately 0.153 inches long(along the length of the cavity 354) and the same width, 0.140 inches,as slot 355. Slot 356 is formed in the wall of cavity 354 farthest fromand parallel to the bearing axis 11. It has a circular bottom ofdiameter 0.117 inches, turned about the same center as the bottom ofcavity 354, and a width of the same 0.117 inches. It extends 0.373inches beyond the tip of cavity 354 through the length of the entirehousing wall to form a notch in seat 360. The wall of cavity 354 inwhich slot 356 is formed, as well as seat 360, are 0.050 inches thick,while the interior wall of cavity 354 is 0.060 inches thick. Seat 360 is0.250 inches long and extends the entire width of the cavity 354 to thehousing wall 349. A 0.125 inch diameter hole 361 is located centrallybetween the notch formed by slot 356 and the other side of the seat. Asthus formed, turn signal detent guide and support 289 serve as areceptacle for the detent retainer member 161 with fingers 172 and 173slidably engaging the wall on either side of slot 355, fingers 174 and175 slidably engaging the walls on either side of slot 356, and the foot176 of flange 168 seating on seat 360. Slot 355 provides a passage fordetent arms 155 and slot 357 provides maneuvering room for detentfingers 158 at the extreme downward end of the stroke of lever 19. Slot356 provides maneuvering room for the end of the stem 179 of detentplunger 55 when the detent is engaged. The rigidity of the guide andsupport 289 also provides additional support for the member 161 whenthey are under stress. Windows 293 and 294 are rectangular aperturesformed in back wall 307 of housing 40. Window 294 is 0.210 inches wideby 0.460 inches long and is located 0.230 inches from the center of pin292 and centered on the plane of the shaft and bearing axis 11. Window293 is 0.520 inches long and 0.200 inches wide and located 0.145 inchesfrom the plane of the bearing axis 11, the end closest to lever 19 being0.200 inches from a line perpendicular to the bearing axis plane throughthe center of pin 291. Circuit board supports and locator means 297include the front surface of detent retainer member 164 (FIG. 14A), therims 197 and 198 on bearing cover 63, the ends of flanges 164A and 164B,and the front of bearing cover member 160, posts 362, 363 in housing 40,and flange 364. Cylindrical locator rims 365 and 366 extend 0.050 inchesabove the top of surface of post 363 and flange 364 respectively. Rim365 fits snugly into 0.094 inch radius indentation 368 on circuit board27, and rim 366 fits snugly in 0.188 inch diameter hole 369 in circuitboard 27. The wall of the housing 40, such as at 330, is typically 0.07inches thick where not specified above.

The back 39 of circuit board 27 is shown in FIG. 15. The board 27 isshaped to fit within housing 40 between walls 330, 370 and flange 372.The bottom side in FIG. 15 is designed to extend out over flange 364with light sockets 374 and 375 passing through U-shaped notches 378 and379 respectively in the flange. The circuit board 27 is fastened tohousing 40 by No. 4 sheet metal screws 75A, 75B, 58 and 59. Screw 75Apasses through light guide assembly 33 and indentation 368 on circuitboard 27 to screw into bore 381 in post 363 of housing 40. Screw 75Bpasses through light guide assembly 33 and hole 382 in circuit board 27and screws into threaded bore 383 in flange 364. Screw 58 (FIG. 3B)passes through opening 388 in housing 40 and indentation 390 in circuitboard 27 and screws into a bore in post 393 of housing cover 18. Screw59 passes through a connector (not shown), which fits over end 384 ofcircuit board 27 and connects to the traces 386 of the circuit board;then the screw 59 passes through bore 394 of flange 364 then throughhole 369 in circuit board to screw into a bore in a post in cover 18.Circuit board 27 includes traces 401 through 405 which the contacts oncontact means 72 of carriage 66 contact to activate the circuits 406 ofwhich the traces are a part, and also includes traces 407-409 which thecontact pairs 268, 267, and 266 respectively on contact plate 260 ofcarriage 67 contact to activate the circuits 410 of which the traces area part. Traces 386, 401-405 and 407-409, are formed on the circuit boardby conventional screening and etching techniques and are preferably2-ounce copper.

It is understood that the dimensions given herein are those used for thespecific embodiment described to assist the reader in building theinvention. However, the invention is not limited by the specificdimensions provided. The preferred materials of which the various partsare made follow, but again it is understood that these materials aregiven only as exemplary and preferred, and the invention may beconstructed out of many other materials. Front cover 18 is made of ABSplastic. The housing 40, carriages 66 and 67, bearing cover and detentretainer 53, and bearing cover and leaf spring holder 63, are made of6/6 Nylon™ plastic with 25% mineral and 15% glass content; the lever 19is made of 6/6 plastic with 33% glass filler; the circuit board 27 is0.062 inch General Electric™ PC 75; shaft 43 is 0.25 inch B12L14 leadedsteel rod; spacer 47 may also be the above steel or die cast zinc alloywith 0.73 post plating. Beam change actuator 45 is Celcon™ plastic; theturn signal actuator 48, leaf springs cam 49, and turn signal detent andstop cam are made of powdered metal iron carbon MPIF specification No.F-0008-R, oil impregnated 75% with density of 6.4 to 6.8 g/cm² and thefirst two having hardness of 70-85 on a 15T scale and the last havinghardness of 75-95 Rb; springs 46, 57 and 70 are music wire that isphosphorous pre-coated; lever pin 42 is 0.156 diameter steel rod C12L14alloy; roller pin 56 is AISI 50100, 51100, 52100 steel hardened andtempered to RC 60-64; turn signal detent plunger 55 and beam changedetent plunger 69 are F.M. brass CDA alloy 36, 1/2 hardness; leafsprings 60 and 61 are C1095 blued clock spring steel quenched andtempered and polished, Rockwell C-48 to 51; clips such as 79, are 0.025high carbon spring steel, screws 54A, 54B, 64A and 64B are steel; screws58 and 59 and 75A and 75B are steel; and contact means 72 and 73 are CDA260 brass, spring tempered to a tensile strength of 91,000 to 100,000psi. In addition, parts such as pivot pin 291 and 292 and the otherthrust bearing areas of carriages 66 and 67 and the detent plungers 55and 69, cams 49 and 52, actuators 45 and 48 and the contacts on means 72and 73 are lubricated with a light grease such as type 723G availablefrom William F. Nye, Inc. of New Bedford, Mass.

The turn signal and headlight beam change subassembly 36 is assembled asfollows. The second cam 52, bearing cover and retainer 53, beam changeactuator 45, spring 46, spacer 47, turn signal actuator 48 and first camare inserted on shaft 43 in the order given and placed in the positionsshown in FIGS. 5 and 14A and the end of shaft portion 111 and cam 52 arestaked on opposite ends to hold all the parts on the shaft 43. Cover 82is snapped onto body 81 of lever 19 and end portion 105 of shaft 43 isinserted in slot 86; pin 42 is inserted in bore 88 in lever connectingportion 77, through aperture 115 in shaft 43 and into bore 89 in thelever 19; the pin is pressed in with a force sufficient to causeshoulder 90 of pin 42 formed at the juncture of portion 102 and portion101 to engage shaft portion 105 and push it up against wall 103 of slot86 and portion 100 to compress the plastic of lever 19. This plastic isstrong and sufficiently rigid to transmit the actuation forces requiredand sufficiently deformable and resilient to compress under the statedinsertion force. This insertion is chosen to provide zero clearancebetween shaft 43 and the wall 103 of slot 86 and at the same time allowthe shaft 43 to pivot without binding in the slot about pin 42 undernormal manual force exerted on lever 19. The knurled finish on portion100 causes the portion to grip the plastic of the walls of bore 88. Theparts as described above are such that the predetermined insertion forcewill drive the end of portion 88 in flush with or below the surface oflever connecting portion 77. The force with which pin 42 is pressed intobore 87 is preferably 25 lbs. Spring 70 is then slipped over beam changedetent plunger cylinder 251 and the plunger 69 is inserted into notches220 and 221 in carriage 67 with spring 70 compressed between ring 253and the walls 223, and ring 253 engaging wall 222. The carriage 67 isplaced in housing 40 with bore 231 over pin 291 and contact seat 200resting on rib 290. Carriage 66 is likewise placed in housing 40 withits bore over pin 292 and its contact seat resting on the rib 290.Spring 57 is placed on stem 179 of turn signal detent plunger 55 androller pin 56 is inserted into slot 181 (FIG. 9) and spring 57 iscompressed while slipping stem 179 into slot 177 between fingers 174 and175 of detent retainer 161, then head 178 is slipped behind fingers 172and 173 with arc 152 of cam 52 fitting into slot 182. Leaf spring 61 isplaced in cavity 325 in housing 40 with its ends resting on benches 327and 328. The whole lever and shaft assembly 20 is then placed in housing40 with detent 55 in detent retainer 161 slipping into cavity 354, foot176 resting on seat 360, the lower or back surface of main bearing cover160 resting on support 306, the bearing surface of shaft portions 106and 110 resting on bearing surface 300 with rib 304 slipping intoportions 109 of shaft 43, thereby locating the shaft, actuator 140fitting in slot 312 and resting on right bearing 282, engaging portion240 of carriage 66 fitting between teeth 145 and 146 of turn signalactuator 48, and the engaging portion of arm 235 of carriage 67 fittingin notch 132 between teeth 130 and 131 of beam change actuator 45. Leafspring 60 is placed in bearing cover and leaf spring retainer 63, itslower or back surface resting on brackets 193 and 194 and its endsbetween flange 190 and nub 192. This assembly is placed on support 314,nub 192 dropping into notch 320 to locate it and the bottom or back ofleaf spring 60 resting on flat 150 of cam 49. Screws 54A, 54B, 64A and64B are then screwed through bores 163B, 163A, 186 and 187 respectivelyinto bores 309, 310, 318 and 317 respectively to hold the lever andshaft assembly 417, carriages 66 and 67, and leaf springs 60 and 61 inplace, leaf springs 60 and 61 each being bent about 0.010 inches in theprocess of tightening the screws. Contact means 72 and 73 are thenplaced on the tables 200 of carriages 66 and 67 respectively with bores263 and 264 of each contact means fitting over pins 211 and 212respectively of each carriage and the cut off corners of plate 260acting as a key with locating plazas, such as 216, in tables 200 toindicate the proper orientation of the contact means. The circuit board27 is preferably preassembled as part of a separate light guide andswitch assembly 32. The windshield wiper and washer switch subassembly35 is slid into the housing 40 and then the circuit board along withassembly 32 is placed in the housing and the screws 75A and 75B insertedas described above, compressing contacts such as 272 to their workingheight to complete the assembly of the turn signal and headlight beamchange subassembly 36.

The turn signal and headlight beam change subassembly 36 operates asfollows. In the neutral or unactivated position the lever 19 extendsperpendicular to the housing front cover 18. Leaf springs 60 and 61 arebent and thus apply a bias force firmly gripping the flat sections 150and 151 of first cam 49. Spring 46 is compressed and thus urges camfollower surface 127 of actuator 45 against cam surface 98 of lever 19.Blades 271 of contact means 72 and 73 are compressed by circuit board 27and the blades in turn press carriages 66 and 67 against housingsurfaces 290 and 308. Detent plunger 55 is pressed back against spring57 by the cam surface 352 of detent arm 155. Detent plunger 69 is pushedagainst spring 70 by housing rib detent member 290. Thus all parts thatare movable in the mechanism are under spring tension that will preventany rattling and absorb any slack or looseness either in the system atmanufacture due to tolerance variations or which develop later due towear. In the neutral position of lever 19, the contacts 267 and 268 ofcontact means 72 contact circuit board 27 in the traceless area 412,while contacts 266 of contact means 72 contact trace 405, and contacts267 and 268 of contact means 73 contact circuit board 27 in thetraceless area 414 while contacts 266 of contact means 73 contact trace409. If lever 19 is pressed down about 10° in a plane through the leverin FIGS. 3A and 3B, then shaft 43 rotates 10° clockwise when viewed fromthe lever end and teeth 145 and 146 of turn signal actuator 48 pivottowards the carriage side of the bearing axis pivoting lever arms 236counter-clockwise in FIG. 6 and causing carriage 66 to pivot 9° to theleft in FIG. 5, which causes the center pair of contacts 267 in contactmeans 72 to contact trace 404, which completes a circuit between trace405 and trace 404 activating a microprocessor (not shown) to turn on theleft turn signal for as long as the lever is held in the position, whichis typically used to signal a lane change. Likewise, if lever 19 israised about 10° the teeth 145 and 146 pivot away from the carriage sideof the bearing axis and carriage 66 pivots to the right in FIG. 5causing contacts 267 of contact means 72 to contact trace 403 closingthe circuit between trace 405 and trace 403 and momentarily turning onthe right turn signal through the microprocessor. In the 10° range ofmotion the arc 152 portion of detent cam surface 352 contacts roller pin56 of the detent mechanism. If, however, the lever 19 is pushed down 15°the detent cam and stop member 52 pivots counter clockwise in FIG. 9 sothat the end of fingers 159 moves into contact with the roller pin 56.As the roller pin rolls up the ramp of the cam surface 352 to the end offinger 159, it and the detent plunger 55 are pushed to the left in FIG.9 and FIG. 6 compressing spring 57. This increases the force on thelever arm in a manner that mimics the increase in force of a directacting turn signal switch. Thus lever 19 feels like a prior art directacting turn signal switch. The movement of lever 19 about 15° downwardalso, similarly to the previous description, moves carriage 66 to theleft about 13° in FIG. 5 as shown in FIG. 7 which causes contact pair268 to contact trace 402 which similarly activates a circuit to turn onthe left turn signal, which will stay on until the steering wheel isturned and released, or for a predetermined time. If the lever 19 islifted upward 15° , then finger 158 activates the detent mechanism andthe contacts 268 contact trace 401 which activates the right turn signaluntil the steering wheel is turned and released or for a predeterminedtime. When lever 19 is pushed 15° upward or downward it causes stopmember 156 to contact turn signal stop engagement means 283. Asdescribed above, the housing 40 is reinforced in the area by bearingsupport 306 and wedge 346 to absorb large forces. Thus stop 156,integrally formed with the cam 52, prevents damage to all componentsinward of the cam 52, including actuator 48, carriage 66, contact means72 and the traces it contacts on the circuit board. When the lever 19 ispushed upward or downward, first cam 49 also rotates with shaft 43. Anyrotation will cause the wider part 152 of cam 49 to rotate betweensprings 60 and 61. The farther the lever is pushed the more the springsare bent, increasing the return bias force. Thus as soon as the lever isreleased the springs 60 and 61 will return as far as they can and causethe lever 19 to return to the neutral position. Such a movement thatreturns as soon as a release is made is called "momentary". If thedistal end of lever 19 is pushed in toward housing 40 (FIG. 3A) about10° , then cam surface 98 of lever 19 pushes cam follower surface 127(FIG. 14A) of beam change actuator about 0.09 inches to the right inFIG. 5. This moves teeth 130 and 131 the same distance to the rightwhich pivots arm 235 of carriage 67 clockwise in FIG. 6 which pivots thecarriage 67 counterclockwise in FIG. 5, which causes contacts 267 ofcontact means 73 to contact trace 408 which closes the circuit betweentrace 409 and trace 408 and triggers a microprocessor to activate thehigh beams for as long as the lever 19 is held in the position. If thelever 19 is moved toward the housing 40 about 15° then actuator 45 movesabout 0.14 inches to the right in FIG. 5 and carriage 67 pivots about25° counterclockwise in the same FIG. This causes contacts 268 tocontact trace 407 which activates the beam change function through themicroprocessor; movement of carriage 67 25° also causes the end ofprojection 255 of detent plunger 69 to move across detent ramp 339 fromindentation 338 into indentation 337. This provides both the feel of adirect action beam change switch closing and also a clicking soundmimicking the sound of a direct switch closing and indicating the beamchange function has been activated. If lever 19 is pushed further towardhousing 40, then beam change stop member 84D engages beam change stopengagement means 286 which stops the inward movement of lever 19 therebypreventing damage to all of the mechanism inward of the stop, includingactuator 45, carriage 67 and contact means 73 and the traces it contactson the circuit board. Whenever lever 19 is pushed in toward housing 40it further compresses spring 46, increasing its return bias force; thusthe lever will be returned to the neutral position as soon as it isreleased. Thus movement in any direction of switch lever 19 will bemomentary.

Relating the detailed discussion of the specific embodiment above to thebroader language of the claims, the force decoupling means 430 comprisesthe shaft 43 and its bearings 280, 282, bearing covers 53 and 63 andtheir screws, the actuators 45 and 48, the carriages 66 and 67 and theirbearings 291 and 292, and the housing 40 generally in the aspect that itprovides the support and reaction forces to the above parts. The contactforce means 432 comprises the blades, such as 271, including the bend274 and the plates, such as 260, insofar as they provide a reactionforce to the deflection of the blade. The switching force meanscomprises the other elements of the force decoupling means 430 otherthan the contact force means 432. The main bearing assembly 418 (FIG. 5)includes main bearing 280 and its support 306, stop engagement means283, lever connecting portion 77 including stop engagement member 84D,shaft 43, particularly the main bearing surface 429 and stop engagementmeans 286, retainer 53, and cam 52. The transmission means comprisesboth a beam change transmission means 427 and a turn signal transmissionmeans 428. Beam change transmission means 427 includes the actuator 45and the carriage 67 and their supports and bearings, while turn signaltransmission means 428 includes actuator 48, carriage 66 and theirsupports and bearings.

A principal feature of the invention is the fact that the contacts, suchas 272, exert only about two ounces pressure on circuit board 27. Thislow pressure results in very low wear on the traces. A related featureis that the contact means are part of a low power circuit. Theelectrical circuits 418 preferably carry 5 volts and 25 milliamps ofpower, though for some functions they may carry 10 milliamps. Generally"low" power may be considered anything less than 1 amp since "normal"power automotive circuits generally carry power of the order of 5 or 10amps. The low pressure/low power combination means that the contactmeans 72 and 73 must be very light weight. These light weight contactmeans are relatively fragile and their use in the switch is onlypossible because of another feature of the invention, the fact that theforce decoupling means 430 separates the forces of the switch intocontact forces which act in a first direction--i.e., the directiontoward the front of the assembly--and switching forces which act in asecond direction perpendicular to the first direction--i.e., thedirection about pivot 291 in one case and the direction about pivot 292in a second case, both of which second directions are in the same plane.Thus separating the forces into two perpendicular directions makes themindependent.

It is a another feature of the invention that the turn signal andheadlight beam change assembly 36 is very compact. All of the manyfeatures of the invention described above and below (except for the longlever 19) are packed into about 2.5 cubic inches of space. Yet thesystem provides many advanced features not found in much larger systems.With the many devices and features now competing for space in a typicalautomobile, such compactness is important.

Another feature of the invention is its simplicity and reliability. Thereturn for both the turn signal and the headlight beam change functionscomprises only a few parts. The parts of the return mechanism are simpleand strong and none of them are likely to fail even over long periods oftime and extensive use. The assembly is also simple and economical tomanufacture. Likewise the parts of the switching mechanism are alsosmall and simple. Some prior art turn signal switches use microswitchesto perform switching functions. One of the carriages, such as 66,together with its contact means 72, is smaller than a microswitch, yetperforms two switching functions. However, despite their small size theswitches are highly reliable and are not likely to break because theswitching forces are isolated in the relatively strong lever and shaftparts while the contact forces are isolated in the contact means.

Another feature of the invention is the relatively high hardness levelof the turn signal detent plunger roller bearing 56. The design of theturn signal detent mechanism is such that the high quality and hardnessof this very tiny part permits the replacement of long internal switchlever arms of prior art turn signal switches with an assembly thatoccupies only about a quarter of a cubic inch.

A further feature of the invention is the separation of the turn signaldetent and turn signal switching mechanisms. The turn signal detentmeans 425 utilizes a totally separate mechanism than the turn signalswitching mechanism 426. This isolation of the two functions permits theseparate adjustment of the switching and detent functions.

The fact that the turn signal detent member 155 and turn signal stop 156are integrally formed in the same part is also a feature of theinvention. This eliminates the tolerance buildup between the individualparts that would otherwise occur. Since these parts are both very rigidand unforgiving of tolerance variations, putting them on the same parteliminates the need for the close tolerance control that would otherwisebe required over the length of the shaft 43 if these functions wereseparate as in prior art devices.

A related feature of the invention is the fact that the stop member 156and the main bearing surface 429 (the adjacent ends of portions 106 and110 of shaft 43) are adjacent to one another and adjacent to the leverarm 19. This places the principal stresses in the mechanism in one area.This area can be made relatively strong and to relatively tighttolerances, while the strength and tolerances of parts further along thesystem can be relaxed, with resulting economics of manufacture. Notethat the two screws 54A and 54B are close to this critical area,symetrically placed with respect to the area, thus minimizingnon-functional movement in this area.

An important feature of the invention is the shape of the engagingportions 240 and 242 of carriages 66 and 67. The equally roundedcurvatures in the vertical and horizontal planes results in the leverarm between the axis 11 of shaft 43 and the center of pivot, such as thecenter of bore 231, remaining constant throughout the movement of theswitch mechanism. This keeps the switching forces constant whichprevents uneven stress points from forming and also provides a pleasantmanual feel to the switching mechanism. Note that this feature resultsin the forces being exerted primarily at the engaging rim, such as 244,which is the strongest area of the engaging means and close to the baseof the pivot pin, such as 291. The shape of the engaging portions 240and 242 also prevents both jamming and slop in the interactions of thearms 235 and 236 and the teeth, such as 145 and 146. As the arms 236 and235 pivot, their alignment with the notches 147 between teeth 145 and146, and 132 between teeth 130 and 131, respectively change. In theneutral position the arm, such as 235, is perpendicular to the plane ofthe notch, such as 132, and the line of the arm extends straight throughthe notch. As the arm 235 pivots, it angles across the notch 132. If thearm 235 were square, it would have to be either too small to touch thesides of the notch when it passes straight through or so wide as tocause pinching or jamming when it passes through at an angle. With theroundness in the pivotal plane, the engaging portion 242 of the arm 235always exactly fits across notch 132, with no jamming or slop. It shouldalso be noted that the beam change transmission means 427 is a "rack andpinion" type transmission means while the turn signal transmission means428 is a "bevel gear" type transmission means in that transmisslon means427 converts the linear motion of actuator 45 into the rotational motionof the carriage 67, while transmission means 428 converts rotationalmotion about axis 11 into rotational motion about a perpendicular axis,namely, the axis of pin 292.

A related feature of the invention to the above feature is theelimination of looseness in the switch actuation mechanism. Since turnsignal levers are relatively long, any looseness or play anywhere in theassembly is magnified many times in the long lever arm. The zeroclearance in the transmission means throughout the travel of themechanism which was just discussed and the zero clearance of the shaft43 and wall 103 of slot 86 discussed earlier contribute to this feature.The fact that all moving parts are under spring tension, which was alsodiscussed earlier, also contributes. This feature makes for arattle-free module, which is extremely important in an automobile today.

The windows 293 and 294 are another feature of the invention. Thesewindows allow the critical transmission means 427 and 428 to be viewedfrom outside the housing 40. This is surprisingly useful as theypermitted a host of problems that arose during development to be quicklyidentified. For example, viewing the transmission means while pressingon lever 19 usually indicates whether any binding or jamming is in theassembly before or after the transmission means. They are also usefulfor sales and engineering demonstrations and repair analysis. Further,the windows provide additional clearance for the transmission means 427and 428. Since the means are at the end of the actuator lever arms,which are the longest dimension of the assembly in the backwarddirection, they allow the entire back wall to be moved in slightly witha relatively large savings in total volume of the module. Thus bothspace for reducing potential binding problems between the transmissionmeans 427 and 428 and housing 40 and viewability for diagnosis andpossible repair of other binding problems is provided.

A novel manually operated switch combining a relatively long switchlever arm and a low power, lightweight circuit and including many otherfeatures and advantages has been described. It is evident that thoseskilled in the art may now make many modifications and uses of thespecific embodiment described without departing from the inventiveconcepts. For example, many other dimensions, shapes and materials maybe used for the parts. Other features may be added, or it may be used byitself or incorporated in other module designs. Consequently theinvention is to be construed as embracing each and every novel featureand novel combination of features present in the switch described.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electromechanical switch comprising:a manuallyoperable lever having a relatively long lever arm; a low powerelectrical circuit including a conducting surface means for providing aplurality of different electrical outputs when different portions ofsaid surface means are electrically contacted; an electrical contact;low pressure contact force means for applying a low pressure force onsaid electrical contact in a first direction towards said electricalcircuit to cause said electrical contact to engage said conductingsurface means of said low power electrical circuit; and switching forcemeans responsive to said lever for applying a force on said electricalcontact in a second direction, perpendicular to said first direction, tocause said electrical contact to move between different portions of saidconducting surface means of said low power electrical circuit.
 2. Aswitch as in claim 1 and further including housing means for supportingsaid manually operable lever, said low power electrical circuit, andsaid electrical contact, and wherein said switching force meanscomprises:a main bearing assembly connecting said manually operablelever to said housing means, said main bearing assembly including a stopmeans for stopping the movement of said manually operable lever; amechanical switching assembly seperate from said main bearing assembly;and transmission means for transmitting the movement of said lever tosaid mechanical switching assembly.
 3. A switch as in claim 2 whereinsaid transmission means comprises:a first member attached to said mainbearing assembly, and a second member attached to said mechanicalswitching assembly, said first member engaging said second member.
 4. Aswitch as in claim 2 wherein said transmission means comprises a rackand pinion means for converting linear motion to rotational motion.
 5. Aswitch as in claim 2 wherein said transmission means comprises gearmeans for converting rotational motion in one direction to rotationalmotion in another direction perpendicular to said one direction.
 6. Aswitch as in claim 2 wherein said main bearing assembly includes detentmeans responsive to the movement of said manually operable lever formimicking the feel of direct-acting turn signal switches ordirect-acting headlight beam change switches.
 7. A switch as in claim 1wherein said low power electrical circuit further includes a circuitboard, said conducting surface means comprises a trace on said circuitboard, and said low pressure contact force means comprises a means forcausing said contact to engage said trace.
 8. A switch as in claim 1 andfurther including detent means responsive to the movement of saidmanually operable lever for mimicking the feel of direct-acting turnsignal switches or direct-acting headlight beam change switches.